The letter exchange between George Washington and the Hebrew congregation of Newport was not the only landmark event in the early history of America that dealt with issues of religious freedom and identity. Seixas’ letter and Washington’s subsequent response exist within a timeline of many other events during which the newly formed country faced those issues. Continue reading below for information about some of those events.

Before your students explore the case study, you may want to try one or more of the following short suggested activities that introduce key themes and help develop a common language for discussions about bullying and ostracism.

1899: Representatives of 26 nations met for the International Peace Conference where they drafted the Convention with Respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land, one of the first formal statements of international laws related to war and war crimes.